Package



Dec. 16, 1941. c. w. GOODWIN 2,266,547

PACKAGE Filed March 23, 1940 INVENTOR ATTORNEY ("ail ii. 6000201 Patented Dec. 16, 1941 PACKAGE Carl W. Goodwin, Plainfleld, N. J., assignor to American .Seal-Kap Corporation of Delaware,

Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application March 23, 1940, Serial No. 325,507

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a package and to a method and means for wrapping the same and more particularly to a wrapped package containing a stack of articles such as bottle caps or the like.

In a specific embodiment the invention may be applied to a stack of bottle caps for use in a capping machine of the type shown in the Daniels Patent 2,068,165. That patent shows a capping machine having a cylindrical magazine adapted to receive a stack of milk bottle caps from which they are fed to the capping mechanism for application to individual milk bottles. ,In commercial practicethe stacks of caps are wrapped by rolling the same in a wrapping paper in such a way that the wrapper may be sealed by a spot of adhesive located adjacent one of the corners thereof. The stack when wrapped in this manner is inserted, together with the wrapper, in the magazine of the capping machine, with the sealed corner of the wrapper extending through a longitudinal slot in the magazine. The wrapper is removed by grasping this corner, pulling on the same to loosen the spot of adhesive and con-' tinuing to pull on the wrapper to unroll the same from the stack of caps and thereby leaves the stack in the magazine in condition for use. The caps are thus charged into the magazine without being touched by the operator, an important sanitary consideration in modern dairies.

In operations of the above character, it has been found that when the adhesive is sufficiently light to permit the same to be readily broken loose, there is a tendency for the package to become unsealed during transit. On the other hand if the adhesive is made sufliciently strong to eliminate the above mentioned tendency, it is necessary to tear out a portion of the wrapper at the adhesive spot in order to release the seal. When this occurs there is a tendency for the wrapper to tear in the form of a ribbon extendinginwardly from the torn spot of adhesive. This interferes with the proper unrolling and releasing of the caps and materially increases the time required for charging a fresh stack of caps into the magazine.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved means for wrapping a stack of articles so as to avoid the above mentioned difiiculties.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved method and means to facilitate the wrapping and unwrapping of a stack of articles.

Another object is to provide a device of the ment thereof has been set forth for the purpose of illustration.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the first step in wrapping a stack of articles in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the articles partly wrapped.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the wrapped package.

' Fig, 4 is a perspective view showing the package in (I; magazine with the wrapper partly removed an Fig. 5 is a plan view of the wrapper.

In the following description and in the claim certain specific terms are used for convenience in referring to various details of the invention. These terms, however, are to be given as broad an interpretation as the state of the art will permit.

Referring to the drawing more in detail, the invention is shown as applied to a wrapper suited to wrap a stack ID of articles such as bottle caps of the type referred to in the above mentioned Daniels patent. In the embodiment shown, the wrapper comprises a rectangular sheet ll of paper or the like, having a spot of adhesive l2 adjacent one corner I3 thereof and having a slit or a slot l4 extending diagonally across the wrapper adjacent the spot of adhesive, for the purpose to be described.

In wrapping the stack of articles the sheet II is first placed upon a fiat surface after which the stack III is positioned diagonally thereon. One corner of the sheet is then folded over to partially close the stack, as shown in Fig. 1. Thereafter the ends of the stack are closed by folding in the opposite corners of the sheet and the stack is rolled to the position shown in Fig. 2, with the corner l3 containing the spot of adhesive I2 projecting outwardly therefrom. The package is then sealed by rolling the stack until the adhesive contacts the rolled portion, forming a package as shown in Fig. 3, which is sealed by the single spot of adhesive, with the corner It exposed. It is to be understood, of course, that When formed in this manner the package may be shipped and the tendency to become unsealed in handling is eliminated.

The above described package may be applied to the magazine 20 of a capping machine such as a machine of the type shown in the Daniels patent above mentioned, by inserting the same from the open end of the magazine with the wrapper still in place. The magazine as above mentioned may be provided with a longitudinal slot 2| through which the exposed corner l3 of the wrapper extends, as indicated in Fig. 4. The wrapper may now be removed by grasping the corner l3 and pulling on the same to tear the paper at the adhesive spot l2. When the spot is torn loose as above described, however, a ribbon of paper 25 may be torn from the blank adjacent the spot and may extend from the spot inwardly along a diagonal of the paper. This ribbon, however, will be interrupted by the slot l4 and will thereby be prevented from progressing a sufficient distance to interfere with the unwrapping of the stack. Thereafter the wrapper may be completely removed by pulling the corner l3 outwardly through the slot 2|.

It will be noted that in the above describedpackage the stack of articles is securely held in such a way that the charging of the magazine of the capping machine is facilitated without in any way interfering with the subsequentunrolling and removal of the wrapper from the stack of caps. Obviously any desired sealing means may be substituted for the adhesive spot, such for example as a rivet pin or othenmechanical fastener.

The invention has been particularly described as embodied in a wrapper for a stack of bottle caps suited for charging into the magazine of a capping machine. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not restricted to this use, but may be applied to various uses where a tubular package is to be wrapped. While a specific form of the invention has been shown for purposes of illustration, various changes and modifications may be made therein as will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art. The invention is only to be limited in accordance with the following claim.

What is claimed is:

A package comprising a tubular article having a wrapper comprising a rectangular blank of flexible material rolled diagonally about said article to leave an exposed corner, a spot seal sealing said exposed corner to the underlying fold or layer of the article, said exposed corner having asingle diagonal slit formed therein adjacent said spot seal but spaced sufliciently therefrom in the direction of pull to avoid weakening the seal, said slit being located in a position and being of a sufilcient length to interrupt the ribbon of wrapping material torn from the material of said exposed corner when said seaing means is broken by pulling on said exposed corner to unroll said wrapper.

CARL W. GOODWIN. 

